This content is sponsored by Bar-T
This past year has been a school year unlike any other – marked by Zoom classes, masks, distance learning and social distancing. As COVID-19 restrictions change and mask mandates are lifted, it has never been a better time to send your kids to summer camp for an enriching, fun experience with COVID precautions in mind.
Bar-T – with multiple locations in Montgomery and Frederick counties – offers a variety of summer camps that not only fit your family’s budget, but also promise to nurture, entertain and educate your child.
“Kids’ social growth and activity exploration have been put on hold through the global pandemic. Summer camp is the perfect celebration of getting through this challenging year, and giving kids permission to be kids,” said Bar-T CEO Joe Richardson.
At Bar-T, campers can meet new friends, explore new activities, socialize and learn in a safe environment.
“Camp is an incubator for friendship and for these types of kid memories,” Richardson said. “Our staff are there, and their whole job is to make sure they’re going to be safe, they’re going to have a great time, they’re going to have fun experiences and they’re going to make friends. In what circumstances does that exist anywhere else but at camp?”
Kids have options at camp to explore activities that excite them. Options include archery, swimming, arts and crafts, sports and games, music and dance, and the new ropes course, zip line and climbing tower.
“Parents are often surprised when their children return from camp showing enthusiasm for a new activity they never would have been exposed to otherwise,” Richardson said. “For example, kids who didn’t like sports have had to be dragged from the soccer field at the end of their time, or kids who hadn’t gravitated toward the arts have found a new passion for painting.”
“We pride ourselves on giving kids real choices and having them have a say in what their day and their experience looks like. We have a ton of different options for kids to do at the camps,” Richardson said. “We have tons of things for kids to do and we want them to choose their own adventure. So they can kind of come into an understanding of who they are, too, which we think is an important part of camp.”
This type of exploration has led kids to be more confident and fulfilled, Richardson has found.
And the best part about Bar-T camps? No screens at all – a welcome change after a year of screen time overload.
Bar-T has taken coronavirus extremely seriously and has stringent protocols in place to keep kids safe and healthy. Bar-T follows all guidelines and best practices from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Camp Association (ACA).
Summer camp is largely outdoors, meaning kids can socially distance easily. Also, Bar-T employees keep up with the latest COVID-19 guidelines including mandatory indoor mask use, disinfection of high-touch areas, cohorting, intake questionnaires and more. Additionally, all Bar-T staffers are fully vaccinated.
Bar-T runs after-school childcare as well, and has been open to families (including essential employees’ families) since the beginning of the pandemic. “There have been no COVID-19 outbreaks at Bar-T sites,” Richardson said, attributing it to how seriously the staff has taken it.
“You can give your kids this experience without having to be worried about all the things that could happen otherwise,” he said.
The staffers at Bar-T work to make sure the campers feel supported, fulfilled, encouraged and entertained. They work to make kids “feel awesome every minute,” Richardson said.
This summer, kids can pick any of the 11 weeks of camp offered at Bar-T. Weekly session rates range from $230 -$450; campers who are signed up for five or more weeks at any Bar-T camp will receive a decreased weekly rate. See the full price information on the Bar-T website.
Bar-T is sure to be a chance for kids to grow, try new things and build confidence. After the difficult year so many children have endured, it’s a welcome reprieve and an opportunity for kids to have fun.
“We are really excited for this summer,” Richardson said. “If there ever were a summer to send your kids to camp – this is it.”
Bar-T has openings and is enrolling campers now. Read more about Bar-T and the summer camp offerings on its website.
